I'll Protect You, Even if I Get Punched in the Face for it
by mirikue
Summary: Rin is an orphan who has never known her parents or family name. But when a boy named Len comes to the orphanage, she learns that she's the only daughter of the powerful Kagamine family- and therefore the heir to a huge fortune! Now people are attacking her left and right! Len is her new bodyguard, so everything would be fine if not for one problem... Rin HATES being protected!
1. Chapter 1

**Right, first of all, I own nothing but the writing. Next, I'm sorry if the format is all screwed up, this is my first fanfic. ENJOY!**

* * *

I yawned lazily, my hair falling over my eyes despite my many attempts to pin it back. I stared at my reflection in the window, tiny droplets of rain running over it. It was the same as always- short blond hair, bored ice-blue eyes, pale skin. I've considered growing out my hair, but then took a look at all the other girls, with their ribbons and bows and hair so long they were practically tripping over it, and declared it a waste of time to keep my hair any longer than shoulder length.

"Rin!" I turned at the sound of my name to see my best friend, Miku Hatsune. Hm. I suppose before I go any farther than this I should give some background on myself...

As I said just now, my name is Rin. Just Rin. I've never known my family name - I'm an orphan. I'm fourteen years old, and Miku is my only friend at this place, the Redlily Orphanage, for one reason or another, despite my being here longer than anyone else. All the others who come to Redlily are fleeting. They find families and leave, just like that. But not Miku and I. She's really the only reason I don't just run away. Not that this place is bad in any way- it's just not my style. And one more thing. I don't know if this is because of the fact that I was pretty much alone from the moment the orphanage took me in, or if it's just in my nature, or if at some point in life I just got so ticked off that my brain shut down or whatever, but I HATE being protected, more then anything else. More than people who act like they're better than me, more than people who try to tell me what to do (although those two things are next on my list of pet peeves), MORE. THAN. ANYTHING. I can defend myself. Well, anyway, back to the story.

Miku ran over to my desk, her long, glossy hair flowing out behind her in ponytails on either side of her head. Her big, heavily lashed eyes were an alluring blue-green color, her cheeks always retained a rosy tinge spread out over pale, creamy skin, and her perfectly shaped lips were a soft pink- but despite the fact that she looked like a porcelain doll, this girl never wore any makeup. It's a mystery to me why she's still here. Her inside was just as perfect as her outside. Miku is nice to EVERYONE, stands up for herself when needed, and actually helps keep _my_ temper in check. However, if you make her mad, like, really, truly mad, my condolences, because you are officially as screwed as a human being can possibly be.

Miku gave me a smile that was practically radiating rainbows and unicorns. "It's lunch time!"

I flashed a quick smile that was probably more on the evil side of things. "We both know what that means..."

We both strode past the cafeteria and out the back door. Every Saturday we skipped lunch and went to train. Past the play structure, through the trees, into a huge clearing. What are we training for, you ask? Life. All the older kids at Redlily are masters of this weird fusion of a bunch of different types of martial arts combined with a few random moves. When I said I could defend myself, I wasn't kidding. Anyway, as you probably guessed, we train in the clearing. We don't really have a name for our little group, but some people call it the Redlily Reboot. Yes, I know, we're just oh-so-creative. Redlily (ugh) protects the children being kept here, we protect ourselves (and kick the butts of any weirdos once we're adopted).

* * *

I spun around and promptly punched some guy in the face. I withdrew my hand to see a dark liquid running down it. Ooh, nosebleed. I feinted another punch over the next opponent's head and then brought a knee up to his face. Nosebleed again. Finally, I took a step back, merely looked at the person glaring in front of me, and covered up the glare. With my foot. Number three. Bam. I gave an exhilarated grin, feeling like a princess... a warrior princess. Hm, maybe that would be tonight's story. I make up an on-the-spot story for all the little kids before we all go to bed at night. Yes, I know it's terribly cliche that I would do something so sentimental, but I must say this: If I don't tell them a story, they never shut up. For, like, the rest of the night and I can't get any sleep. No sleep means fewer nosebleeds. So I put up with storytime. (And my stories are actually quite good, if I do say so myself.)

"Jeez, Rin, how is it even humanly possible to give out three consecutive nosebleeds?!"

I turned and gave a mischievous grin to the owner of the voice- a small girl called Akita Neru who, for once, wasn't texting. She's nice, but she's pretty much always on her phone.

"Ha! Maybe I have special buttkicking powers." I said.

Her looooong blond ponytail bobbed up and down. She clutched her phone in one hand, and she was about to respond when it beeped. "Ah!"

Thank you for your precious service in Reality, Neru. We hope to see you again... By next year if possible.

"C'mon, Miku... Are you done?" She nodded and we walked out of the clearing.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!" I flinched as a girl with red hair in corkscrew curls ran full speed down the hall despite the sign that clearly stated _No running_. I shook my head back and forth a few times. One of these days she's gonna bust an eardrum.

"Yeesh... Uh, what is it, Teto...?"

She came to a halt, panting slightly. Her eyes were wide. "Rin... Someone's here for you!"

* * *

I burst into the main office, my eyes probably much wider than Teto's. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

The head of the orphanage, Ms. Meiko, looked at me in surprise, her lips parted slightly. Miku, Neru, Teto, and a couple others were hot on my heels and came in after me. I glanced to the side to see... What. The. $ #%*.

A boy around my age stood at the other end of the office, his posture perfectly straight. He actually looked rather like me. His very slightly longish golden hair was tidily pulled back into a ponytail of sorts, bangs falling across his forehead and almost touching big blue eyes. Those things were relatively normal, but his clothing... A black tailcoat. And I could've sworn I saw a POCKET WATCH peeking out of one pocket. _What is this_, I thought incredulously, _freaking BLACK BUTLER? _

"...Ms. Meiko," I said, my voice deathly calm. "Who is this boy?"

Ms. Meiko beamed, a far-too-happy smile that made my insides churn. "This," she said, "is Len Kagamine, and he is here to take you in!"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

* * *

**So that's the first chapter! I'm sorry it's so short...** **I'll try to write more next time!**

**Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! And... um, whatever else people ask FanFiction users to do!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alllllrighty then, here's chapter two! Once again, I own nothing but the writing! Also, a humongous thank-you to the people who reviewed my first chapter! Oh yeah, just to make things clear...**

**Rin and Miku are 14, and Len is roughly 14-15. He's a little older than Rin. Neru and Teto are both 13. Also, I made a small error in Chapter one- I wrote "Akita Neru"... Her name is Neru Akita, all the names are first name first in this story! I'm sorry... Anyway, without further ado, heeeeeeeerrrreee's Chapter 2! (Oh hey, that kinda rhymed.)**

* * *

After THAT lovely announcement, I was pretty much pushed right off the edge. Ms. Meiko was still smiling like this was the most superfun thing ever, but the smile melted right off her face as Len approached me and I gave him a nasty hit to the face without thinking. (I regret nothing!) I then proceeded to dash to the other end of the room. I vaguely remember saying something along the lines of, "Catch me if you can, girly boy!" and then jumping out the window. However, I knew I would escape without a scratch- this was an action I had performed many times before, and I always caught the tree branch directly in front of the window and used it like a gymnastics bar, doing a somersault in midair and landing on my feet.

This time it was different.

I sailed through the air weightlessly, but in mid-flip I saw Len. Jumping out the window. (which, by the way, is on the third floor!) And not making any effort whatsoever to catch the branch. My somersault was completely screwed up as I fell through the air in surprise. There would be no chance of landing on my feet now. With nothing left to do but close my eyes and hope to escape with a few measly broken limbs, I'll admit I went a little nuts. Because I didn't freak out when I saw Len practically gliding down to the ground. I wasn't confused when my mind turned right-side up. And I didn't give Len the world's worst triple-nosebleed when I opened my eyes to find myself

1)In one piece

2)Completely uninjured

3)Being held like a stupid weak princess in his arms.

THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN.

Why couldn't I have just gotten away with a concussion? Or some nice broken bones?

"OHMYGOSHWHATTHEHECKAREYOUDOINGPUTMEDOOOOOWWWWN!"

Len set me down and regarded me carefully. "Well, you told me to 'catch you if I could', so I did. Oh, and that hurt, by the way."

I remembered how I had punched him in the face a few minutes ago. "...Sorry...but I didn't think you were literally going to catch me!"

Len tilted his head to one side like a dog. "Why wouldn't I?"

This guy... This guy... This guy was... I don't even know! Was he stupid or amazing? I mean, he had just JUMPED OUT OF A THIRD-FLOOR WINDOW and caught me... because I had told him to!

"Um, are you familiar with the terms 'figurative' and 'literal'?"

"What?"

"...Y'know, never mind..."

* * *

"So, Ms. Meiko, what exactly is Len here for?" I tried to stay calm. Maybe by "take in" she had meant... um... UGH! I don't know!

Ms. Meiko smiled. "Well, why don't we just let him explain!"

I turned to Len. He cleared his throat (seriously?) and began talking. "You see, there is a very powerful family, upper-class, known as the Kagamine family. The head of the family, a man called Gakupo, was... well, not to badmouth him, but... a bit sexist. He did not wish for a woman to be his heir, but he had only one daughter- Lily. He could not send her away, because his wife would know, but she was the only person eligible for the position, even after she married. You see, the Kagamines only allow those of pure Kagamine blood to become head of the family. So he reluctantly allowed her to stay."

I frowned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Ms. Meiko nudged me. "Just listen."

"However, when he found that Lady Lily's firstborn was a girl, he was outraged. He refused to let the next in line be female again, and so he sent the child away, without telling her where." My throat began to dry up. I thought I knew where this was going and prayed I was wrong.

"But Master Gakupo died recently, so now his daughter is in charge. She never forgot about the child he had taken away from her, and sent many people to find her." Then he looked right at me. "Rin, I believe that you are that child. Everything fits. Your age, your appearance, even your personality. And the woman who took you in claims to remember a man fitting Master Gakupo's description. You are the next in line to be the head of the Kagamines."

The words seemed to linger in the air. They repeated over and over again inside my brain. I felt like a person who had been cemented, frozen, and then looking into the eyes of Medusa. Len and Ms. Meiko looked at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. Miku, Neru, and Teto had been listening from the other side of the door and I could practically hear their jaws dropping and hitting the slippery hardwood floor. And Neru hurriedly texting everyone she knew. The two people in front of me were still waiting. Was I supposed to say something...? Ah! That's right... The gears in my brain started turning again. Um, ok, only daughter of important aristocratic family? Got that. Actually having a last name and, more importantly, a _family_? Check. The fact that I had to LEAVE REDLILY? Not so much. My brain finally began to function enough for me to speak. "Wh-Um, shouldn't we do some kind of...DNA test or something?" I couldn't leave Redlily. Not while Miku and all the other kids were still here.

Len nodded. "Naturally. But I'm almost positive."

I worriedly looked back at Miku and co. as he led me out the door.

* * *

"You are Rin Kagamine."

I stared in shock and incomprehension at the owner of the voice. No. This could not be happening. It was all a huge mistake. I was supposed to stay at Redlily with Miku and cause nosebleeds and never be adopted. Some other girl was supposed to be taken to the Kagamine household and live in luxury and comfort for the rest of her life.

"W-w-w-what?" I mentally punched myself. Why was I stuttering? All I needed to do was tell them I didn't want to leave, and that was that.

A grin lit up Len's usually pretty expressionless face. "That's great!"

"Um..." Everyone turned to look at me. "I... uh, I don't really want to leave..."

And with that, the atmosphere changed immediately.

"What?! Rin, this is your chance for a new life!"

"It's not every day you get a positive DNA test for one of the most respected families in the world!"

"Doesn't living with the Kagamines sound better than living here?"

I clenched my fists. "Well... My one and only friend is here... I mean, I've lived my whole life here! How can you just expect me to leave? I... I won't go! But thank you anyway!"

"Uh, Rin... About that." Len looked kind of sheepish. "You see... Now that we know you're part of the Kagamine family, you're kind of the heir to the Kagamine fortune, and people will be attacking, trying to get it for themselves. The first step in that would be to... get you out of the picture, so... for your protection... uh... You have no right to refuse."

"WHAT?!" My jaw dropped. "THAT"S SO UNFAIR!" I did not want to leave my home. I did not want to go with this weird butler guy. And I did NOT want to be PROTECTED!

Ms. Meiko tried to calm me, using an annoyingly patronizing voice. "Rin, honey, we're just trying to-"

"What the HELL?" I was outraged. Nobody was going to be able to calm me down at this point, no matter how hard they tr-

"Rin." I turned to see a pair of big eyes the color of the sea. "It'll be okay." Miku looked at me with those eyes of hers sadly. "You can go."

And that was when I knew I had to. My best and only friend gazed firmly at me. We had been through so much together. She really had been the only thing holding me here. I felt all the anger drain out of my body. I very slowly unclenched my fists and sighed.

"Fine."

* * *

The car rumbled along the road outside the orphanage. I looked back at the place that had been my home for my entire life and saw Miku standing at the window. I raised my hand to wave at her in a silent goodbye. She smiled and waved back at me. I stared out the window until Redlily was completely and utterly out of sight. Len, who was sitting next to me, smiled kind of awkwardly and tried to break the ice. "So, uh, are you... looking forward to meeting the Kagamines...?"

I turned from the window sullenly. "Yeah..." Then I frowned. "Wait, Ms. Meiko said that your last name was Kagamine, right? So you're my... brother?"

Len pressed his lips together. "Well... yes and no. You see, I was found on the Kagamine grounds a few years ago, unconscious and pretty beat up. And I don't remember anything before waking up there. So they took me in, and although I use the Kagamine name, I'm not actually related to the family by blood. I still work for them, though-the rules and things are just a little more relaxed."

I didn't really know what to say to that. "...Okay..."

The car slowed, and I peered out the window to see a huge, ornate black gate. I watched as the driver put his window down to punch a really, really long code into a little box, and the gates slowly opened. The car pulled into a long driveway and I felt my eyes get bigger than dinner plates. "Holy..."

Before us was a vast manor. It looked like it had at least four stories. The grounds in the front were perfectly trimmed, and bushes with perfect, pure white roses blooming on them lined the perimeter of the place. Lush green ivy curled and twisted across the pale yellow walls, and the windows were tall and clearer than...uh...air! We got out of the car and walked up to the enormous double doors. I studied the jet-black door knocker. Whoever had crafted it had somehow shaped it into an incredibly detailed dragon in mid-roar coming out of the door. Its bat-like wings were spread out on either side of it, and black fire was bursting out of the mouth, which was lined with jagged teeth. I looked more closely at it and saw that the small eyes were a rich amber color, like tiny points of lava. Len saw me staring at it and smiled. "Do you like it? It's like the family mascot, and it's part of the crest."

I tore my gaze away from the dragon's fiery eyes. "What? Oh, uh, yeah. It looks like it alive..."

Len brought out a silver key and pushed open the door. His voice rang out throughout the manor, echoing down the long halls and seeming to bounce out of every corner. "Lady Lily! We're here!"

I heard quick footsteps and saw a flash of shiny blond hair before I felt the breath being squeezed out of me. "Ack!" I drew in a shaky breath as the grip loosened and I saw a woman in front of me, giving an ecstatic smile. She had long, pin-straight golden hair that flowed around her and cascaded down her back. Her ice-blue eyes were sparkling brightly as she shook her long bangs away from her face. Although she was definitely older than she looked, she seemed to emit a childish sort of aura. Still, she was gorgeous and her hair showed no signs of turning gray. She quickly straightened her yellow dress and turned to Len. "Len, I can't believe you actually found her! This is wonderful!"

Len smiled. "It is. Rin, this is Lady Lily, your mother."

I looked at this beautiful woman in disbelief. My mother... I wasn't sure if I was happy, or... or what? After a few seconds I managed a weak smile. "Nice to meet you, um..." Oh crap, what was I supposed to call her? I mean, when you meet your mother for the first time in your ENTIRE LIFE, you don't exactly want to run up to her squealing, "Mommy!"

She smiled and seemed to read my mind. "You can call me Lily for now."

I let out the breath I hadn't even known I was holding. "All right, thanks."

Len suddenly brightened. "That's right! Let's go meet your father!"

I stopped dead. Father? I had forgotten all about having a _father. _Come to think of it, Len hadn't said anything about my father when he had filled in the blank that was my entire being. I wondered what he was like. Hm. Well, one way to find out. I followed Len and Lily down the long, spotless hall. Len opened a door of polished, dark wood to reveal an office that was just as polished, dark, and woody. At a desk in the center of the room sat a man with short brown hair. He lifted his head to reveal steel-gray eyes framed by a thin pair of black glasses. He studied me emotionlessly. I waited for him to say something, anything. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and watched Len bow deeply to him. "Lord Kiyoteru. This is Rin, your daughter."

Still he said nothing, and I realized he was waiting for something. Formalities? I repressed a smirk. Oh, I could play that game. I felt Len watching me in awe and disbelief as I performed a perfect curtsy and smiled like the charming little girl I was supposed to be. "Nice to meet you, sir." Hey, I may have lived in an orphanage my entire life, but that doesn't mean I don't have my manners.

Eventually the man gave a small smile. "Good, you know your etiquette. You may call me Kiyoteru. Nice to meet you, Rin."

He seemed to be very straight laced, the opposite of Lily, from what I could tell, but not too bad. I guess my parents are the very essence of "opposites attract" or something.

Lily beamed at me and grabbed my arm. "Ooh, we have to go get you ready for the party tonight!"

I turned to her. "Party?"

* * *

"...and then you need to make sure that you don't step on the edges of your dress! If it rips, you're done for! Rin?"

I blinked. "Sorry, what?"

Lily huffed at me and was about to start her lecture again when I quickly put my hands up in surrender. "Uh, never mind, I've got it!"

Lily had explained that there would be a party that night, where she would introduce me to all the guests. After a few failed attempts to say I would be fine, I had reluctantly given in and resigned myself to all the brushing, combing, blow-drying, spraying, gelling, perfuming, lip-glossing, dress-pick-outing, etc. that Lily had insisted was vital to the party preparations.

I sighed and eased myself out the door. Thankfully, Lily had allowed me to stay in my regular clothes until the party started and I had to come out. I heard hesitant footsteps coming down the hall and turned to see Len. Although he was usually polite, and didn't show much emotion, there was a clear expression of...fear? on his face. "What's wrong, Len?"

His blue eyes widened. "Rin, don't speak too loudly!"

"Why not?"

A hand snaked out of the room I had just exited, and I heard Lily gleefully say, "Leeenn! We can't forget about _you_, now can we?"

And so Len was pulled, flailing and screaming, into Lily's lair.

_Len jumped out of a third-floor window without hesitation, but he's afraid of Lily? _

A few minutes later-Lily works fast-I saw why.

Len was ejected from the room with his hair neatly brushed and tied up with a ribbon. He wore a new coat, dark blue, with lace-edged cuffs and long matching shorts. Lily had forced him into frilly knee socks. His shoes made him look like a pilgrim, with HUGE silver buckles, and in one gloved hand he clutched his pocket watch. I stared at him in disbelief. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Uh... Len..."

"P-please don't talk to me!" He took off running, his outrageous blue outfit contrasting with the walls of the house.

I waited until he was gone before I burst out laughing.

* * *

I stepped carefully down the stairs, the light silk of my dress held up above my ankles. A crystal chandelier sparkled above the vast room I was descending into. I reached the bottom step and scanned the area. Lily was chatting with all of the guests. Her hair was curled into a bunch of golden ringlets tied back at the nape of her neck, and she wore a flashy necklace with amber like molten lava set into it. It was hard to believe that this beautiful woman was my mother. Kiyoteru was wearing a stiff dark suit, and was curtly engaging in small conversations. Probably arranging business-y stuff. Len had somehow found his old outfit and put that back on without Lily noticing. I caught my own reflection in on of the tall windows and considered my appearance. My blond bangs, which Lily had somehow managed to tame, swept neatly across my forehead. I wore a scarlet dress she had insisted on that glowed like the eyes of the family dragon in the light. My own eyes were at their iciest shade of ice-blue. People turned to "discretely" look at me as I marched right by them, head held high. I was tempted to say something sarcastic, but Len had advised that I keep my attitude in check during the party, so I (reluctantly) held my tongue. If they were staring at me, just wait until they saw Mi-

I froze.

Miku isn't here anymore.

Suddenly the lights seemed too bright, the conversations too loud, the people too many. How could I have forgotten? Everything seemed to rush and spin around me. I could feel myself hyperventilating. When they turned to look, the guests saw the daughter of a rich, powerful family. Composed, pretty, perfect. But the red dress couldn't hide the girl just underneath the surface, the girl who had lived at an orphanage her entire life, the girl who preferred to be in a huge, open clearing rather than a huge, open ballroom. And if I didn't get out soon, that girl was going to bubble up and go on a rampage. I had to escape. _Escape. Escape. Escape. Escape._ I barely had time to shakily say, "Excuse me..." before I walked briskly out the door. Once out of sight, I broke into a panicked run. I didn't see if I stepped on the edges of my dress and no longer cared. _Miku! Help! _Miku had always been there to steady me, keep me company, _save_ me. I only realized how important that had been now.

Here in the manor I was alone.

I finally spotted a pair of doors with moonlight streaming through them and pushed them open. I needed air. I placed my hands on a balcony rail in front of me and took a huge gulp of the stuff. My mind finally cleared. _Jeez, Rin. Overreact much? _I couldn't believe I had seriously just run out of a party because the fact that I probably wouldn't see Miku or anyone else at Redlily anytime soon had finally registered. I just had to tough it out.

But still... I felt tears welling in my eyes.

No. I couldn't let them fall.

Because I am Rin Kagamine.

And Rin Kagamine does not cry.

* * *

Miku sat against a tree, knees to her chest. It was so lonely without Rin. Sure, she had a few other friends at the orphanage, but Rin was like a sister to her. She shifted, her aquamarine hair falling from her shoulders. "Rin, come back..."

She heard a rustle behind her and whirled around to see a girl step out from behind a neighboring tree. Miku knew right away that she wasn't from Redlily. She was too well-dressed, her hair too perfect and her blue eyes too bright.

The girl smiled. "You want to bring back the Kagamine girl?"

* * *

Neru tossed her ponytail behind her back and pressed a few buttons on her phone. She smiled. Maybe she was small, but she could text more quickly than anyone else at the orphanage. Unfortunately, engrossed in her conversation, she failed to see Teto barreling towards her.

"NEEEEEEERRRRRRRRUUUUUU!"

"Oof! Teto, what the heck...?"

Teto looked up at Neru, eyes wide. "I don't know what's happening, but a bunch of people just came in fancy cars and tied up Ms. Meiko!"

Neru looked at her in disbelief. She grabbed her phone in one hand and ran after Teto to the door.

Ms. Meiko sat against the wall, bound and gagged. Neru was about to untie her when she heard the heavy thunking of boots in the hall. She and Teto shrunk back against the wall.

"Okay, everyone to the wall!"

Teto squeaked, for once speechless. Neru didn't blame her, once the man came in. All the other kids stumbled in after him, single file. He towered over everyone and everything, a scowl on his face and muscles practically bursting out of his body. The kind of guy you'd expect to see standing guard outside some kind of night club, not taking over an orphanage.

Needless to say, everyone rushed to the wall.

"Awright, people. This orphanage is now the property of the Megurine family. Got that? Burn it into your ridiculous little brains. Megurine. And since the orphanage belongs to 'em, so do you. So don't even think about trying to misbehave or escape. Give us any of that crap, and my _coworkers_'ll bust you up." A couple of other guys tromped in. "Now that we've got that out of the way, you're going to tell me something. Which one of you is the _Kagamine_?"

Neru frowned. Did he mean Rin? He said _Kagamine_ like it was an insult. Suddenly a little girl-was her name Yuki?-piped up from the other end of the room. "Are you talking about Rin?"

Oh, no. Neru had to restrain herself from doing a facepalm. _Yuki, WHY would you do that?_

The man turned to Yuki, smiling an eerie (and yellowing) smile. "Maybe. Who is Rin?"

"Rin is like a big sister! She's nice and she tells reeeeaallly good stories!" Yuki spread her arms out wide to demonstrate just how good Rin's stories were. She frowned. "But a boy came and took her away. He looked like Rin, and he was wearing black clothes."

"Is that so? Why did he take her away?"

"I don't know. But... maybe Miku knows!"

The man leaned down to Yuki's level. "And who would that be?"

"Miku is Rin's best friend! She knows everything! Oh, and she's also really nice and-"

"Where can I find her?"

Yuki frowned again. She didn't like to be cut off. "I don't know."

Neru watched as the man straightened. "Which one of you little freaks knows where I can find this _Miku_?"

Yuki looked up at him. "You shouldn't speak to people like that. It's ru-"

"Hold your tongue. Where is Miku?"

All the kids shifted around. The room was filled with a soft murmur. One girl held up her phone. "Ooh, I know! I can call her!"

Her phone was smacked out of her hand. It skidded across the floor. "No cell phones!"

The man walked down the line of kids to gather their phones, ignoring all of the kids' protests. His back was turned, however, and so he did not see the small blond girl press a button on her phone and slide it into the bag at her side.

* * *

"Hurry now, we don't have much time left!"

Miku half-ran along the dirt with the girl's hand clasping her wrist. It appeared to be a nice gesture, but she had an iron grip and Miku had the feeling she wouldn't be able to get away if she tried. "What do you mean, we don't have much time left?" She turned her head as best she could to see people streaming into the rapidly shrinking orphanage. "What's going on?"

The girl tightened her grip. "That doesn't matter. Just run."

They reached the fence. Miku could see a sleek black car waiting beyond it, engine rumbling. "Where are we going? And who are you?" She and the girl climbed underneath the fence. Miku had escaped the place that had been holding her captive almost her entire life in under a minute.

Finally the girl stopped as a man shut the car door, with the two girls sitting inside. "Ah, yes. How could I forget to introduce myself?" She smiled, and for a moment her ice blue eyes flashed like Rin's. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Luka. Luka Megurine."

* * *

**So there you go! (Long, isn't it?) I'm sorry I used the line divider thingy so much... Do you think it's too fast paced, or cliche? Please review! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyo! Mirikue here! Sorry I took so long to update! Anyways, thanks SOSOSOSOSO much, to the people who reviewed! Ohohoho, this chapter is a year later, as you probably see... Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! EXCEPT THE WRITING! THANK YOU!**

* * *

**One Year Later**

* * *

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

My eyes snapped open and I shot up in bed, blue eyes scanning the room warily. Whose voice…?

"STOP IT! AAAAAHHHHH!"

Len. I relaxed and slipped out from under the sheets, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I yawned and pulled a sweatshirt over my head, yanked on some shoes and socks, and marched over to the door.

BAM.

"WHAT THE HECK, LEN?!"

Len froze, and sure enough, Lily was positioned over him with a frilly, hot pink dress in her hands. She had very clearly been trying to force it onto him. I got to the bottom of the stairs and pushed the two of them apart. "I was kind of trying to SLEEP! Jeez, Len, how loud can you get? And Lily, why are you still trying to make him wear that dress? Even I wouldn't wear that, and I'm actually a girl!"

Lily pouted childishly. Her honey-colored hair had gotten even longer over the past year, and she showed no signs of cutting it. Yes, this (crazy) woman, who was trying to force Len into a horrendous pink dress, was my mother, for better or for worse. "Well, don't you think dear Lenny would look good in it? This shade of pink really brings out the blue of his eyes!"

I looked at the dress doubtfully. "Whatever, just PLEASE stop this routine! I mean, you're always trying to make Len wear something ridiculous, but this time, it's not even eight thirty!"

"Well, I thought I would give him his outfit bright and early!"

Len paled. "What?! No, I'm not wearing that!"

Lily grinned, Chesire-like, and tossed her hair behind her. "We'll see about that…"

And so the chase continued.

I sighed. There wasn't any point in trying to go back to sleep now. I padded over to the kitchen and went inside, my pale fingers curling around the edge of the door. Ha, maybe she wasn't here yet-

"MISS RIN!"

Crap.

A girl with short green hair that flipped out at the edges (it reminded me of grass) and a pair of tinted goggles sitting atop her head came out of nowhere and stood before me, hands on her hips. I tried my best to smile innocently. "Oh, hello, Gumi… how can I help you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Miss Rin, I think you know perfectly well that I won't fall for all that. And, like always, I have to say it: JUST LET THE MAIDS MAKE YOU BREAKFAST!"

"Aw, but Gumi," I said, "I can just pour myself some cereal or whatever. The maids don't have to do so much. And anyways, haven't I told you time and again to just call me Rin? We're about the same age, anyway!"

Gumi's shocking, electric-green eyes widened. "W-what?! I could never… W-well, anyways, it really isn't a hassle for the maids to do something so simple as make breakfast! It's part of our everyday routine! Honestly, Miss Rin, we go through this almost every morning!"

I sighed, pretending to resign myself to her rules. "Fine, then, do as you please… I'll be going."

Gumi beamed in victory but didn't see me slip a couple of oranges in my pocket as I shuffled out the door.

I went to my room to change and brush my teeth, then began to walk back, observing the long halls as I went. They were the same as they had been a year ago, when I had come to the Kagamine manor-vast, never-ending. I still got lost in them, and Len had found me wandering around, trying to figure out where the heck I was, inside of them so many times I had lost count. Speaking of Len… I paused in the middle of the hall.

Three.

Two.

One.

Aaandd…

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Len came running past me, grinning like a maniac.

I caught him by the arm as he went by and smirked. "So, Len, have you won the war this fine morning?"

Len smiled even wider and bounced on the balls of his feet. "YEAH! She finally gave up on making me wear that awful dress!"

I smiled sweetly and began to walk away. _I'll just be leaving while he's distracted… _"Well, I'm gonna go outside, soo…"

"Hold it, Rin."

I stiffened and turned to see Len clutching my arm in a death grip, Len-style. Just think of a really, really strong death grip, but, like, two hundred fifty-seven times more death.

"What is it, Len…?" I was trying really hard to keep a straight face.

Len grinned again, but this was a different grin. A smirk, if you will. Jeez, he went from vaguely girly, unwilling dress-up doll for Lily to evil creep mode.

"I'm your bodyguard, of sorts, remember? Don't think you'll be escaping the situation after a year…"

Right. Let's rewind a little bit. So I was basically forced to come to the manor a year ago, with the whole "Kagamine fortune" crap going on, blah blah blah… Anywho, long story short is that Len is now my "bodyguard" (Despite the fact that he's also my adoptive brother). So, naturally, he has to (blech) protect me. I still haven't gotten over the whole matter, in case you were wondering. Ugh. I was so ticked off about all of this that Lily seriously had to threaten to handcuff him to me before I gave in.

Len was starting to seem to emanate a rather evil aura. It was starting to creep me out a little. I gave him the Super-Deluxe Rin Murder Stare as I walked out the door and he trailed after me.

"C'mon, Rin, you know it's for your own good… And I bet you secretly love it, having a charming guy like me following you around."

I bumped things up a notch to the Super Duper Deluxe Rin Murder Stare. "As if! You just enjoy it because you know it pisses me off! And anyway, I've become immune to your so-called _charm_ after seeing you in like fifteen different outfits originally intended for girls. Besides the fact that you're basically my brother."

Len pouted, looking for all the world like a younger male version of Lily. "But Riiin, don't you think I'm handsome?"

"Of course," I said, and he suddenly brightened. "Because you look exactly like ME. Why do you think you're able to pull off all of those dresses? And we're not even related!"

I grinned evilly as he flushed darker than the pink dress Lily had tried and failed to make him wear earlier.

"Well… I-I'm still going to be your bodyguard, whether you like it or not!"

I sighed and began to walk along the perimeter of the yard, the white bow that Lily had planted on my head (I, personally, thought it made me look like a bunny) bobbing up and down. I came to a gap in the foliage behind the house and plunged through. All at once the cool, forest-y air enveloped me and I was reminded of the clearing back at Redlily as I walked along the narrow dirt path. Len, of course, was right behind me. The sun streamed through the overhead canopy of interlocking tree branches, and with every step I found myself practically ankle-deep in fallen leaves. A cool breeze gently ruffled my hair and, I'd like to think, completely messed up Len's as we walked along.

Finally, I stopped at my destination. A huge tree, taller than anything I had ever seen before, stood before me. I came here almost every day, as it was the only quiet place where I could be sort of alone without Lily trying to put a dress on me and Gumi lecturing me every three seconds. It just sucked that Len followed me everywhere. Oh, except for the bathroom. That'd just be pervy.

I grabbed onto a low-hanging branch and pulled myself up, climbing the tree until I got to a high, high, high place. I came to my favorite branch, a wide one that seemed to be made for the sole purpose of having people lay on it, and did just that. I felt like I was laying in the clouds… or at least I would have if Len hadn't been right there, keeping his ice-blue eyes determinedly fixated on me.

"...Len?"

"Yes?" He answered instantly.

"Will you go away?"

"No." Again, instantly.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not supposed to."

"Please?"

"No, Rin."

"Ugh."

I laid there in silence for a long time-it was almost dinner-, just thinking, then decided that if I didn't come back soon, Lily was going to have a fit, and the Kiyoteru would have another one because he would have to be the one to calm her down-not an easy task. So I reluctantly began to climb back down from my almost-heaven, back into reality.

"Wha-"

My foot slipped about halfway down and I fell… only to have Len do his signature catch.

"LET GO OF ME!"

He did, and I faced him, hands on my hips. "I could've landed perfectly fine! Stop trying to PROTECT me!"

Len shoved his face close so that we were almost nose-to-nose. "No, I could've landed perfectly fine. You, on the other hand, could have very easily gotten hurt. I'm just doing my job! Anyway, are you okay?"

"SHUT UP!" I gritted my teeth. He was right, of course. It seemed like whatever I could do, Len could do better. Heck, he probably looked better in a dress than I did. The worst part was how nice he was about it. He did tease me a lot, but when push came to shove he would submit to me and be really nice about everything.

And that was what I despised most of all.

_Fssh_. I glanced up, still miffed as a flash of black passed in front of us. Len's brow furrowed as it continued to shoot all around us. It didn't look like much, but somehow I knew that this black thing was a threat. Len frowned and his hand shot out of nowhere, grabbing a piece of fabric. The flashes of black stopped and I suddenly heard a click behind us. Len and I whirled around to see a figure in a deep black cloak, their face hidden by the hood. Pointing a gun at us. As we turned they seemed to falter, the hand retracting the tiniest bit, but they swallowed and adjusted their aim.

"Wh- HEY!" Len had picked me up again and began to run. I pounded at him and he tightened his grip. "Let me go!"

He performed what a jump that would've been impossible for anyone other than Len up into a tree, then crouched as the cloaked figure stopped, tense. I wrested myself out of Len's grip and prepared for one of my favorite moves.

"What are you DOING, Rin?" Len looked at me angrily.

I smirked. "Using the power of gravity."

He stared after me in disbelief as I jumped off of the branch, one leg extended and arms braced to fall as my sneaker came smacking down onto the figure's hooded face. Blood spurted out into the air. I fell into a roll and landed perfectly… and then barely saw the person rushing towards me, their fist twisting into my gut. I tumbled down as they continued to pummel me. They finally stopped, right as Len slammed into them, throwing them against a tree. Len was about to go after them when he saw my various bruises and cuts and he stopped dead.

"Oh my god, Rin, are you okay?!"

But I didn't answer. I was too busy staring after the hooded figure. Those punches, the way they had taken my jump-smash move… I only knew one person with those kinds of skills, besides myself. It couldn't be…

I began to run, oblivious to the fact that Len was yelling my name, not feeling all of my injuries. Faster and faster, through the trees, after that person. "Wait!"

I knew perfectly well that they wouldn't, though, and continued to sprint after them. "WAIT!"

I struggled to keep going as Len caught up with me and grabbed my arm. "WAIT!" I stretched a hand out through the bushes. "MIKU!"

* * *

Miku dashed farther and farther away from the manor. Her silky black cloak flowed around her, and she clutched the gun in one hand. It hadn't been loaded, naturally. Luka had, after all, just said to scare them with it if she was caught. She heard Rin scream her name, and her heart twisted itself into knots. No. She had to keep going. Just keep moving, Miku. Just keep moving.

She finally came to the sleek black car, the very same car that had taken her from Redlily a year ago, and got inside. "Take me to the manor, please…"

The drive was long and wordless. The staff never said anything more than what was necessary. Miku watched the scenery go by through the window next to her, her sea-colored eyes blank. She really hadn't meant to hurt Rin, but when Rin had stomped on her, her reflexes had kind of taken over. Miku smiled bitterly as blood dripped down her face and onto her lap. No doubt Rin had figured out it was her by her fighting style. She would have to be more careful.

The car stopped, and Miku, being more polite than most of the staff, thanked the driver and exited, walking into a vast manor. However, this place retained much more of a darker atmosphere than the Kagamine household, and she was filled with a deep sense of dread as she progressed slowly down the hall. She stopped in front of a door she had come to know the person behind all too well, lowered her black hood, and knocked.

"Enter."

Miku opened the door to see the next head of the Megurine family sitting in a throne-like chair.

"Hello, Miku. How did things go?"

Miku stared straight ahead, not averting her gaze but not looking into it. "Fine, Miss Luka. You were correct, she is working with Len Kagamine. He acts as her bodyguard, and is extremely protective of her, although she does not appear to enjoy his company. He follows her almost everywhere."

Luka leaned down to meet Miku's eyes. "She 'does not appear' to enjoy his company? You are her best friend, are you not? What are her actual feelings?"

Miku met her gaze emotionlessly. "She does not enjoy being protected, but she doesn't dislike his company."

"Mm. Anyway, did you get caught?"

Miku hesitated, her expressionless mask cracking for half a second. "...Yes, Len Kagamine grabbed my cloak, so I pointed the gun at them… But they didn't see my face." This was not entirely a lie, she reasoned, as Rin had found her out on her own.

"Well, then." Luka stood from her chair, strode across the room to Miku, and slapped her.

Her face stung, but she knew better than to protest, so she simply gave Luka a curt-but-polite nod and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Miku."

Miku caught a wrapped parcel in one hand without looking back, just like always.

"Don't call him Len Kagamine."

She stood in the doorway, her back to Luka.

"Yes, Miss Luka."

She walked slowly down the hall to her room, her long teal hair swaying around her. She knew what would be in the parcel Luka had thrown at her. It was always the same thing-a bunch of spring onions, a few slices of meat and a ridiculously small amount of money. She sat on the small cot that served as her bed and withdrew the spring onions. Ugh. Miku despised spring onions with all of her being. She was not a picky eater, but when one is only given a single food for almost an entire year, one tends to dislike it, especially if the said food is a stringy green vegetable. Miku did get a small amount of meat, but only some days. She sighed and began to gnaw on the edge of it, too hungry to complain. She did, on occasion, splurge and buy something from the grocery store, but she did this very rarely. She had decided that she wanted to save most of her money, just in case.

Miku sighed, sticking the rest of the spring onions inside of her bag for later. She didn't understand why she had to call Luka "Miss Luka", or why she had to respect her so much. She knew she worked for her, and all, but Luka was only a year older than her! And why did she get so little money? It was the same monotonous routine every day. Carry out Luka's orders, receive her "payment", and go to bed. Luka hadn't even kept her promise, not once…

_"You wish to bring back the Kagamine girl?"_

_Miku scrutinized this girl, who she didn't even know the name of, as she smiled sweetly and extended a hand. The girl appeared to be a little older than her, and she was very pretty. Miku didn't trust her. She crossed her arms and glared at her suspiciously. "What do you mean, bring her back?"_

_The girl regarded her with an elegant air. "You want to see her again, do you not? I can grant that wish, if you like."_

_Miku frowned. "No, I don't need to have her come back, to answer your question. I just want to meet up with her from time to time. Anyway, who are you, and how did you get onto Redlily's property? I'm not stupid, I know perfectly well that you aren't from Redlily, so don't lie."_

_"I wanted to come here, so I did. It's as simple as that. As for who I am...That doesn't matter right now. I came to offer you a deal." She spread her arms out. "If you stay here, you will not see her again for a very, very long time. You are aware of this fact, I'm sure. However, I am willing to offer you a different option. I will allow you to see the Kagamine girl, talk to her… whatever you want, and place her under my protection. The family she is part of… As I am sure you heard, she will be next to inherit the fortune, and people will be trying to kill her. The Kagamine family's staff is hardly competent enough for such a task. But I will send one of my people to protect her. I assure you they are the best of the best. However, you must work for me. You will be bound to me, no matter what, and you will become my property, essentially. You must follow my orders, no matter what they are. Do you understand?"_

_Miku hesitated. This girl… she could practically feel the power coming from her, and sensed the truth in her words. She knew that she wouldn't see Rin for a long time, and even if it was possible, the chances would be very slim. Not only that, but if Rin died…_

_"The best of the best, huh?"_

_The girl nodded confidently. "Of course. Now, then… Do you accept my terms?"_

_Miku bit her lip, thinking. She couldn't let Rin be killed. Although she could take care of herself, she'd be no match for a trained assassin. And if she would be able to see Rin again… But this girl's terms were…_

_She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When they opened again, there was a determined spark in them. For Rin…_

_"Yes."_

* * *

I laid on the bed, panting. My injuries had been tended to. There wasn't anything serious, but a particularly deep gash on my forearm had been wrapped, and that was the worst of it. But that aside…

Miku. I had seen Miku.

I was sure of it. No one else I had ever met could fight like that. The attacks she had used on me were mostly exclusive to the Redlily Reboot members. Why had she attacked me? Why had she pointed a gun at Len and I? _Why? Why? WHY? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyo everybody! I'm SOOOOO sorry it took so long to update-and that this is such a crappily written chapter! Oh, yeah...**

**WARNING: EXTREMELY STUPID ATTEMPT AT ROMANCE WRITTEN BY MIRIKUE INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER! **

**Yep, it's pretty horrible. I'm sorry... Anyway, enjoy this crappy chapter ****I wrote, including my first-ever attempt at romance!**

**Disclaimer:I own nothing... Y'know what, I'm just gonna let this be the disclaimer for the entire story...**

* * *

_A flash of teal._

_"Miku?"_

_She turned. Her ocean eyes seemed to glow in the pitch-black space around us, but something was wrong. Her face was completely expressionless. She was still wearing that long black cloak._

_"Miku! What's wro-" She had silently begun to cry, with the same emotionless mask, but the tears sliding down her face… weren't tears. They were a dark red, almost black, color, staining her doll-like face. "Miku… is that...blood…?"_

_She looked at me in anguish. "Rin…"_

_I watched in horror as another drop fell from her eyes. That one single drop fell to the black space we stood on, blooming into the figure of a girl on contact. She didn't have any discernible features, but she somehow smiled like the Chesire cat and wrapped her arms around Miku's thin frame from behind. "Heeey. Are you the Kagamine girl?" She giggled softly. "Because I just have to tell you."_

_"Tell me… what…?"_

_"Miku is MINE now. Allll mine. She belongs to me, body and soul. So… you can just die, okay?"_

_My eyes widened. "What… Miku?!"_

_But Miku stayed silent. More of the bloody tears slid down her cheeks. The girl's creepy smile grew even wider. "She's mine. So back off. No one can protect you here, so I wonder if I should just kill you now?" She tapped her chin with a slender finger, like she was trying to decide what kind of tea to get at the store rather than whether or not to kill me._

_Miku's bloody eyes widened in worry. She reached out as if she was going to stop the girl."Ah-"_

_"DON'T INTERFERE!" The girl slapped her, sending her flying across the dark space. "What do you see in this girl? Nobody likes her. They only stay to get paid. And she's a KAGAMINE. So why is she your friend?" Suddenly everyone from the mansion and Redlily was there, their eyes jet black. They spoke in all different tones, the words overlapping each other._

_"Why?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Why"_

_"WHY? WHY? WHY?"_

_"WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY?"_

_I screamed as they advanced on me. Black blood rained from above, stinging my skin even more. I ducked and curled into a ball, my hands gripping my hair, shaking._

_"No…someone help…"_

_All thoughts of anti-protection lost, I screamed the first thing that came to mind._

_"LEN!"_

_And suddenly it stopped._

_The tiny droplets of blood hung suspended in the air, the people frozen in place. The blood-girl shrieked and dissolved. And there was Len, standing over me, blue eyes concerned._

_"Rin, are you okay?"_

_I peeked up at him through my bangs. "L-Len…"_

_He frowned. "What happened?" He turned to survey the scene before us, and started to take a step forward._

_I panicked and grabbed the edge of his jacket weakly. "Len!"_

_"What is it, Rin?"_

_"L-Len… don't ever…leave me, okay…?" My thoughts were hazy, flying around my head like exploding ping pong balls. His eyes widened slightly._

_"Len...stay with me… forever and ever… okay? Because...because…" I definitely wasn't thinking clearly, but my brain locked onto my very last sentence. "...because...you're the only one left…" Yes, all of my friends and family had been leering at me, following the orders of the blood-girl. But Len was here with me._

_I could feel my eyes closing, but I faintly heard Len speaking. "Don't worry, Rin," he said. "I'll stay with you no matter what happens."_

_I thought I felt him press his lips to my forehead. "I promise."_

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes. The ceiling was blurry and out of focus, and I squinted and sat up. "Wha…"

"So you're finally awake?"

I flinched and turned to the owner of the voice-Len. He sat on the edge of my bed, a smirk spread across his face. Honestly, he really had changed in the past year, from soft-spoken and polite to a boy who teased me all the time and was pretty much evil.

I frowned and shook my head back and forth a few times. "What the heck… hate to be cliche, but what happened?"

Len raised his eyebrows. "You seriously don't remember?"

"Remember what exactly?"

"Weeelll, after you got over the shock of seeing Little Miss Hatsune, you tried to go back outside before your wounds had healed, so of course the maids attempted to restrain you, but you basically went psycho and took them all down. So, you were running to the door when I happened to see you and kind of knocked you out because Lily was screaming at me to 'stop the beast', and I took you back here, where you faded in and out of consciousness for like, two days and stuff happened, such as that one maid Yukari waking up from your attack and having to be taken to a psychiatrist, and yeah. That's it in a nutshell."

It took me a few seconds to process that. But I could still see Len trying to hold back a smirk. I raised my head and looked him straight in the eye. "Something happened while I was 'fading in and out of consciousness', didn't it? You aren't telling me what it is… So naturally I must know."

Len suddenly refused to meet my eyes. He was turning BRIGHT red. "Y'know, I think maybe I hear Lily coming, so I'm just gonna-"

"Tell me, LENNY. Or I'll call her here right now, and tell her to bring along the Amulet Heart cosplay. With the pom-poms, the Heart Rod, and the Heart Speeders."

"...You wouldn't."

"I would."

* * *

Len sighed and stumbled out of the room. He had successfully lied to Rin, but who knew how long it would last. She wasn't stupid. And he absolutely, positively COULD NOT tell her what had really happened…

_Len nudged the door open with his shoe and set Rin down on the bed. Jeez, she was lighter than… than… whatever. And how had she knocked out all of those maids? The only person he knew who was capable of such a thing was himself. Yikes. He really needed to remember not to get on Rin's bad side...like he did pretty much every single day. Crap._

_He sat at the edge of the bed, feeling very much like that guy from those weird vampire novels… what was his name? Edwin? Ed-something… Hm. Whatever. If he really needed to know, he could just ask Lily. She loved those kinds of things..._

_He jumped back slightly as Rin's ice-blue eyes suddenly snapped open and she shot up in bed. Len had definitely not been expecting her to wake up. Unfortunately, because of this, he panicked and did the first thing that came to mind._

_He tranquilized her._

_He watched as her eyes went out of focus and she dropped back down to the bed. Oops._

_He could see her fighting against the powerful drug (he just so happened to carry such things in his jacket), resisting the pull of sleep. Len knew, however, that she would not be able to do so much as move her arm for the next fifteen minutes-he had once accidentally administered the tranq to himself (long story) and woken up a day later. In full-on cosplay courtesy of Lily._

_Len shuddered. Never again. Never. He turned back to Rin, who was now completely asleep, her lips slightly parted and her bow askew. Her breathing was slow and even._

_He frowned. Should he stay until she woke up? He was her "bodyguard", but it would be creepy if he watched her sleep… Yes, he would leave her in here for now. There were a bunch of people in the manor. She'd be fine. He was about to leave when he felt the smallest of tugs on the edge of his jacket. He turned (again) and his eyes widened in shock. Rin seemed to be awake, but upon closer inspection her eyes were hazy and dream-like. This wasn't, however, what surprised him. It was the fact_ _that she had reached her arm out and grabbed his jacket, her pale fingers tightening into a weak grip. She turned her head towards him and mumbled something incoherently, then gradually began to speak more clearly._

_"L-Len… don't ever… leave me...okay…?"_

_Len froze. He looked down at this girl, who was usually so stubborn. She slowly looked up at him again with those foggy eyes, and his heart melted._

_"Leeenn…? P...please," she slurred, "stay… with mee…" Her loose grip gave out and her hand fell from his jacket. "Forever and ever… okay? Because… because…"_

_Len could see that the tranq had started to take effect again._

_"...because… you're… the only one left…"_

_Her eyelids fluttered. Len swallowed as his insides began fangirl squeeing. Man up, Len. Honestly… But he still leaned down to Rin, as she flickered between sleep and wakefulness._

_"U-uhm… Len…"_

_He gave a small smile, and nodded slightly as her eyes finally slid closed. "Don't worry, Rin. I'll stay with you, no matter what happens." Len leaned in and softly pressed his lips to her forehead. "I promise."_

* * *

I pushed myself out of the bed and crossed my arms. Len had definitely lied, but contrary to popular belief among the staff, I did NOT enjoy seeing him in girly outfits. Especially when said outfit is an ubersparkly pink cosplay ensemble that shows the wearer's stomach and has a skirt that I consider too short to actually be wearable. It's like its sole purpose is to flash someone's panties to the world. I mean, seriously? Come on.

Anyway, how could I have had such a weird dream-about LEN, to boot?! What is wrong with my mind? I shuddered, and made my way out of the room only to crash into Lily.

"Oh, Rin!"

I took in her overly happy smile, bouncy stance, and optimistic aura (wait, where's the difference from the usual Lily?) and immediately came to a conclusion.

"Lily, are we having a party?"

"How did you know?"

* * *

I forced myself out the door. It was pretty hard to walk in the heels Lily had chosen for me, but the party was in an hour or so and I had promised Gumi I would help with the preparations. Jeez, this place has waaaay too many parties, I thought, and half the time it's just Lily wanting to pick an outfit for Len!

Muttering under my breath about how much of a pain parties were, I failed to notice Len secret agent-ing his way down the hall, no doubt trying to avoid Lily. He crashed straight into me, and I fell back onto the floor, swearing under my breath as I pulled myself up and completely ignored his outstretched hand.

"S-s-so, Rin…"

"What?"

"Uh… are you looking forward to the party…?"

I gave him a look, like, seriously? "What do you think?"

"...Touche…"

I crossed my arms and began to walk to the party room. Len suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Hey, where are you going?"

I pried his fingers off of my wrist and frowned. "Uh, hello. Party room. I promised Gumi I'd help with the decor. Anyway, there's no need for you to follow. It's annoying enough already, so I don't need you following me around inside on top of that."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but wisely held his tongue. I came to my destination and pushed the doors open.

"Rin!"

I turned to see Lily waving at me from across the room, which was now buzzing with conversation. "Could you go find Gumi? We're almost out of wine for all of the guests, and she went up to the balcony a while ago to get some fresh air. I mean, I'd go myself, but…" She gestured at all of the pervy male aristocrats staring at her.

"Yeah, sure." I carefully navigated myself through the people to the stairs and began to climb. I smiled to myself as I slowly trudged through the long halls. I had taken this very same path last year, but in complete panic. Things were so different now. At the time, I had been so homesick, and I had totally freaked out over not being able to see Miku… Wait, Miku? I felt like I had seen her recently… Like, after that whole gunpointing fiasco. A dream? I frowned, pausing in the middle of the hall. I knew I'd had a dream… But what had happened in the dream? I couldn't remember any of the details. I knew I had seen Miku… And it felt like it had been a nightmare. But no matter how hard I tried, it refused to come back to me. The details were right at my fingertips, but I couldn't quite grasp them…

Well, whatever. I shrugged and opened the door to find Gumi in all her maid-outfitted, head-goggled, green-haired glory. Puffs of cold air escaped from her mouth, and I realized that she was actually really pretty in the moonlight. (Okay, don't go jumping the gun here. It's just one of those things that girls notice about their friends, kapeesh?) She turned in surprise as I stepped onto the balcony.

"Gumi, Lily says she needs you to go back to the party-something about being out of wine."

She gasped, then ran out the balcony entrance, yelling over her shoulder. "Th-thank you, Miss Rin! I almost forgot, this is about the time they usually run out!"

I smiled and turned to leave myself when Len popped out from a nearby doorway and came over to me. "Um, Rin, can I talk to you…?"

I snorted. "Better than going back to the party. What's up?"

"Uhm… well, I just, uh, wanted to let you know…"

"What?"

"I-I'll always be there for you…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, isn't that kinda the point of being my bodyguard?"

"Wha-um, no, not like-"

"Well, I should probably be getting back…"

"Rin!" Len suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me back from the door, spinning me back towards him, wrapping one arm around my waist and pressing his lips to mine.

What the… What's...going...on…? Len was… he was… wha…? I. LEN.

My head spun as all of my senses automatically shut down and I could focus on nothing else. Len pulled me closer and I slowly raised one of my hands, my movements like molasses. I couldn't focus, my mind foggy, as I brought my hand up to his face…

...and slapped him.

Len stumbled back, arms flailing wildly. He finally caught himself on the balcony railing and his blue eyes focused on me, one hand over my mouth, face bright red, as I backed away and ran off.

.

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.

What the fudge just happened?

I shook my head back and forth a few times. Len had just… my FIRST… Why would he do that?! Did he really… WHY? I rubbed my lips with the back of my hand, thinking. Did I like Len? I mean, he was seriously obnoxious, and he was always trying to protect me, but…

No. I mentally slapped myself for daring to think such a thing and made my way back to the main room.

As I came through the doors, Lily caught my eye and smiled brightly. She dashed over to me, as quickly as her dress would allow, and grabbed my arm. "Rin, there's someone I've been wanting you to meet! I meant to introduce you before now, but they've been really busy, and only managed to come today!"

I shrugged. "Uh, okay, Lily."

She brought me over to a tall boy, maybe a little older than me, with neat, dark blue hair. He smiled and gave me a little nod-bow. I sort of half-curtsied, unsure of how to react. Lily let go of my arm, her smile growing even wider. "Rin, this is Kaito, your betrothed!"

* * *

"Rin!" I turned to Lily, feeling ragefire ignite in my eyes. OH NO, DO NOT COME NEAR ME, I AM THE FREAKING FAMILY DRAGON GIRL! RAAAAAAAARRRRGH!

After finding out I had a betrothed, I had been disbelieving, then defiant, then unsure, then, finally, pissed. I had, of course, done the extremely mature thing, and slapped him. Hard. Ha, I was on a roll, second guy who was trying to fall in love with me that day. So naturally, anyways, I didn't want to talk to Lily, but she acted like nothing had happened. She ran towards me excitedly. "Rin, we have a new maid! She's quite the beauty, and about your age! Want to come meet her?"

"Not really."

"Great! Let's go!"

I sighed and reluctantly went with Lily to see the new maid, who was, indeed, quite pretty. She had long, shiny brown hair highlighted with...was that pink? and her eye color kept on changing to something else once I decided what it was. Kaleidoscope eyes, there. The maid uniform fell flawlessly around her perfect figure, and her smile was one of the angels, sugary sweet and perfectly formed.

I hated her instantly.

The new maid, however, did not seem to notice my hate, and smiled at me. Lily gave her usual manically pretty grin and put her arm on the girl's shoulder. "This, Rin, is Kokone!"

I began to walk away, uninterested-I had no intention of being this girl's friend-but Lily reached out and grabbed my shoulder, her manicured nails digging into my skin. Her grip was waaay stronger than should be humanly possible, and I could almost sense the evil aura swirling around her. "I said, Rin, that this is Kokone…"

Self preservation outweighed hate-at-first-sight, and I somehow ended up shaking hands with the girl, giving a weak smile as Lily kept her death grip on my shoulder. "N-nice to meet you, Kokone…"

Kokone smiled brightly. "You too!"

Oh no, I hate these kinds of people... They're soo insanely nice that you just can't help liking them, even if you don't want to. Ugh, Kokone, you are truly despicable...

The three of us turned as Len walked in, studying a clipboard he held in front of him. Lily snagged him by the arm and pulled him over. "Kokone, this is Len! Len, this is our new maid, Kokone!"

Len smiled at her like the nice, golden-hearted boy he wasn't. "Nice to meet you, Kokone."

Kokone's chromatic eyes brightened as she shook his hand a little too excitedly. "Nice to meet you, too!"

I felt a pain in my hands and realized I'd been clenching my fists, my nails cutting into my palms. Len turned to look at me and frowned. "Rin, why are you glaring at me?"

I jumped back in surprise. I had been glaring. What the heck? "No reason, just remembered the fact that, um, I forgot to record the latest episode of Black Butler! See ya!"

And with that, I ran off, mentally beating myself up. _Seriously, Rin? That was all you could think of? Black Butler ended, like, two years ago!_

* * *

_Miku frowned, anxiously twirling a strand of silky teal hair around her finger. "What do you mean by, 'go in while she's shocked'?"_

_Luka carefully stabbed a piece of tuna from the plate in front of her with the practiced eyes of a seafood lover. "The Kagamine girl," she said in mid-chew, "will be extremely shocked. She just found out she has a betrothed, and she most likely won't be talking to anyone for a while, as she'll be upset. So I want you to go in and find a few things out for me."_

_Miku let the strand of hair drop to her side. "You want me to spy on Rin?! I just got back from the party!"_

_Luka chewed her next bite of tuna thoughtfully. "Yeah, pretty much. Speaking of which, did you get any good information?"_

_Miku stared at the floor. "...Len Kagamine is in love with her."_

_Luka raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Is he, now? Did he, like, kiss her?"_

_"Yes…"_

_"Oho, this is perfect…Miku, you're excused."_

_The aqua-haired girl left the room._

_Luka turned to a silky curtain behind her. "You understand, don't you?"_

_A slender girl emerged from the shadows behind Luka's chair, her long brown hair shot through with a pinkish sheen. Her big eyes were an unusual color, shifting and changing so that one couldn't quite decide what they looked like. Her soft, full lips turned up into a sweet smile. "Of course. Who is it this time?"_

_"A boy by the name of Len...Kagamine. He is stubborn, but you shouldn't have too many problems...Just draw him away from Rin Kagamine. The usual method. He absolutely cannot be in love with that girl..."_

_The girl nodded. "Very well, Miss Luka. I'll definitely be able to do this."_

_"Good, Kokone."_

* * *

**So how'd you like it? I'm SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO sorry it took so long, AND FOR THE FOURTH (BEAVER) DAM CLIFFHANGER IN A ROW, but my computer decided to be mean to me and it took me a while to figure things out! ALSO, do you think I should change the category on my story (Family/Romance) to something else, or write "no incest" at the end of the description? Like, does this story look like it would be incest? It's not!**

**Please R&R, mirikue OUT!**


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